Bottle breaking apparatus



g- 24, 1965 R. c. HARMON 3,202,366

BOTTLE BREAKING APPARATUS Filed May 17, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ROBERT C. HAR MON ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,202,366 BQTTL'E BREAKING APPARATUS Robert C. Harmon, 6d]. Pinewood Drive, Dunedin, Fla. Filed May 17, 1963, Ser. No. 281,260 1 Claim. (Ci. 241--99) The present invention relates to a glass bottle breaking apparatus which is particularly adaptable to be readily detachably supported in the open top of a trash receptacle or the like for conveniently discharging the broken bottle pieces into the receptacle.

A principal object of the invention is the provision of a bottle breaking apparatus which is relatively compact and comprising a tubular housing structure which can be readily suspended on the top edge of an open trash container or the like and which has a hammer pivoted at the bottom thereof arranged to swing upwardly to strike a bottle in the housing, the hammer being moved through its bottle breaking stroke by the depression of a lever at the top of the structure. This construction permits the bottle breaker to be applied easily to conventional trash containers and the operating forces are applied in directions most easily absorbed by the container on which the breaker is supported.

In the preferred form of the invention the hammer in its position of rest has the head thereof below a horizontal plane through the hammer pivot so that the operator must initially apply sutficient pressure on the operating lever to swing the hammer above this plane, after which the decreasinggravitational effect on the hammer rapidly decreases whereby the force applied to swing the hammer is utilized to impart a relatively strong impact to the hammer, thereby assuring that the pressure applied by the operator to the hammer operating lever is adequate to break the bottle in the housing.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a glass bottle breaking apparatus comprising a tubular housing for receiving a bottle to be broken, a retaining mem her for resiliently urging the bottle to a supporting surface at one side of the housing, and hammer means having a striker head swingable to strike and shatter a bottle in the housing, the bottle retaining member being yieldable so that when the bottle is struck by the hammer the bottle may resistingly move in the direction of movement of the hammer, which, I have discovered, materially facilitates breaking of the glass of the bottle.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a bottle breaking apparatus of the character mentioned comprising top and bottom frame members supporting a tubular housing therebetween, the top frame having means to support the apparatus on the side wall of a trash receptacle container, a hammer pivotally supported on the bottom frame, and a hammer operating handle on the top frame and operatively connected with the hammer through a linkage.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof read in connection with the drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a bottle breaking apparatus embodying the invention and shown attached to the top edge of a trash container;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2, but on a larger scale.

Referring to the drawings, a bottle breaking device It is shown suspended in the top opening of a conventional trash container C, only a portion of which appears in the drawing. In general, bottle breaker comprises a rigid 3,292,366 Patented Aug. 24, 1%55 frame structure 11 having a tubular body or housing 12 supported therein, the frame having means to be detachably supported on the top rim of a container so that the axis of the tubular housing is vertical. Housing 12 is arranged to receive a bottle through an opening in the top thereof and to retain the bottle therein for shattering by a hammer 13 supported on the lower part of the frame and actuated by a handle or lever 14 on the top portion of the frame through linkage described'more fully hereinafter. of the shattered bottle will drop through the bottom opening of the frame into the container.

Referring more specifically to the structure of bottle breaker 10, frame ll is formed of lower and upper members 17 and 18, respectively. Lower member 17 is preferably of cast inetal comprising a generally rectangular plate 17a having a relatively large circular opening 17!) therethrough surrounded by an upstanding collar or circular flange 170. Three upwardly projecting legs 17d abut and are secured to three complementary downward 1y projecting legs 13d of top frame member 18 so as to rigidly space the frame members.

Top frame member 13 is preferably of cast metal and includes a generally rectangular plate 18a having a bottle receiving opening 13b therethrough which is surrounded by a downwardly extending collar or circular flange the. As mentioned previously, legs Edd, formed integral with plate 18a, extend downwardly to be secured to legs 17d respectively, and the engaging leg portions have abutting edges 19 which are secured together by bolts 2d extending through openings through overlapping portions of the legs, as shown, whereby both frame members are interlocked to form a rigid unitary structure in which openings 17!) and 1811 are aligned.

The frame structure may be readily attached to an removed from the inside of the top of a container opening by merely suspending the frame from the top edge of the container wall and for this purpose a pair of spaced lugs 21a, 21b are provided depending from opposite sides of plate portion 123a (only one set of lugs appear in the drawings) and are spaced to receive the container wall W therebetween to position the top of the frame structure to the upper edge of the container as shown. Lower frame member 17 has two projecting lugs 22 at opposite sides of plate 17a which engage the inside of wall W and position the lower portion of the frame structure from the container wall so that the common axis of openings 17b and 18b is substantially vertical or parallel to the tides of the container.

' A tubular housing comprising a sheet metal sleeve 24 is supported between lower and upper frame members 17, 18 and preferably the upper end of the sleeve surrounds flange 18c and the lower end is tapered slightly and is received inside flange 17c. Sleeve 24 is preferably assembled with the frame prior to the attaching together of legs 17a and 18a and is retained in position by the interfitting and secured legs.

leeve 24 is adapted to receive a bottle inserted through opening 18b and to form a hood or housing to prevent flying particles of the shattered bottle from scattering laterally when thebottle is struck by the hammer described more fully hereinafter.

A bottle F, shown in dotted lines inside sleeve 24, is retained in the sleeve by a device comprising an L-shaped lever 25 pivoted on a pin 26 supported between two spaced parallel lugs 27 (only one of which appears in the drawing) depending from the underside of frame plate 18a so that leg 25a of the lever may be extended through aligned openings in collar 18c and sleeve 24, respectively, and well into the interior of the sleeve, as shown in FIG. 3. A roller 25b, preferably formed of a The bottom of the frame is open so that the parts relatively soft rubber or rubber-like material, is rotatably attached on the end of leg 25a of lever 25 so as to engage the side of a bottle in the sleeve. Lever 25 is urged counterclockwise about its pivot by a tension spring 2-8 attached at one end to a lug 172 formed on frame member 17 and attached at the other end to a finger 250 formed on the lever so that roller 25b is resiliently urged inwardly of sleeve 24 to yieldingly hold a bottle to the side of flange 18c opposite lever 25. The upper end portion 25a of lever 25 extends through a slot, not shown, in plate portion 18a and above the plate, and a laterally projecting handle 25a is provided on the upper end portion by which the lever can be rotated clockwise by an operator to withdraw roller 2512 from one side of the interior of the body to release a bottle or part thereof. It will be seen that normally roller 25b is in the position shown in broken lines in FIG. 3 and when a bottle is inserted, preferably neck first, through the opening surrounded by collar 130, the roller and lever 25 is forced outwardly to permit entry of the bottle, and the spring tension on the lever will cause the bottle to be frictionally retained inside the tubular body in the posi tion indicated in FIG. 3 and in alignment with a hammer receiving opening 18g in collar 18c and sleeve 24 so that hammer 13 can be operated to break the bottle, as is described more fully hereinafter. Preferably, two depending fianges or ribs 182 are formed on frame 18 on Opposite sides of the hammer receiving opening 18g to prevent spreading of shattered glass.

Hammer 13 is preferably formed of cast or forged metal, such as steel, and comprises an arm 130 having a striker head 1317 at one end and the other end is pivoted on a pin 29 fixed thereto and rotatably supported in three spaced lugs 17] formed on frame member 17. A laterally projecting pin 130 is rigidly attached to arm 13a and extends through an arcuate slot 31a formed in an actuator arm 31 pivoted on a pin 32 supported by 2. lug 17g on plate portion 17a. Preferably, a support arm 33 is rigidly attached to pin 29 and receives pin 130 therethrough so as to rigidly support pin 13c and minimize any tendency to twist arm 13a about its pivot.

Actuator arm 31 is moved upwardly about its pivot to swing the hammer from the lower full line to the dotted line raised position shown in FIG. 1 by a link 34, one end of which is pivotally attached to the actuator arm by a pin 35 and the other end of which is pivotally attached to one end of the hand lever 14 which extends through a slot 18 in plate section 18a and is pivoted on a pin 37 supported between two spaced lugs 38 depending from the underside of the plate section, only one of which lugs appears in the drawings. Hand lever 14 has a grip portion 14b so that the operator may comfortably and firmly force the grip portion downwardly, causing link 34 to raise actuator 31 and swing hammer arm 13a upwardly to bring hammer head 13b sharply against a bottle inside the housing, thereby shattering the bottle. When the handle is released, the weight of the hammer causes it to return to its normal position of rest shown in full lines in FIG. 1. It will be noted from observing FIG. 1 that the hammer normally reposes below a horizontal plane through pivot pin 29 so that a maximum initial effort is required to be exerted on the hammer arm to raise it through the horizontal plane, after Which the effective pull of gravity thereon readily decreases so that the moment of force applied to the handle is utilized to increase the velocity and force of the hammer, thereby insuring shattering of the bottle in the body.

In connection with insuring breakage of bottles by the hammer, I have found that bottles tend to breakm'ore readily if they are permitted to yield slightly with the blow of the hammer and therefore I have provided the soft rubber roller and the spring urged lever 25 to produce this action.

Preferably, the bottle receiving opening 18b is normally closed by a lid 40 which is pivoted at 41 to plate section 18a, and although not shown, a coil spring is provided for normally urging the lid to lie on the top of the frame over the opening to thereby prevent pieces of glass from flying from the top of the breaker when the bottle is broken. A finger lift 42 is formed in the lid for ease of opening.

It will be appreciated that the bottle breaker shown can be easily and economically fabricated and can be readily attached to and removed from the tops of trash containers so as to be conveniently associated with an empty trash container and readily removed when the container is filled with broken bottles. The device easily accommodates bottles of various sizes and shapes and it can be operated rapidly and efficiently in destroying bottles.

While but one form of the invention is shown, it is understood that other modifications, adaptations and uses as are reasonably embraced by the scope of the claim hereof may be used.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A bottle breaker comprising means forming a surface for receiving a bottle thereagainst, said surface having an opening for exposing a part of a bottle thereag'ainst to a hammer, means comprising a member yieldingly urging a bottle to said surface, and a hammer movable in a path through said opening for striking a bottle yieldingly held to said surface, said member comprising a lever having a soft rubber-like element attached to one end and disposed opposite said surface, and a spring urging said lever in a direction to urge said element to a bottle aligned with said surface.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 780,097 1/05 Gernhardt 241-99 2,185,352 1/40 Peters 24199 2,235,712 3/41 Lehr 24199 2,246,394 6/41 Steele.

I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner. 

